Jack Shadbolt

Jack Shadbolt was born in England in 1909 and came to Canada with his parents in 1912. From 1928 to 1937, he taught in high schools in Duncan and Vancouver, B.C. while attending night classes under Frederick Varley at the Vancouver School of Art (V.S.A.). Shadbolt wrote and published three books: In Search of Form, Mind’s I, and Act of Art. In 1988, with Doris Shadbolt, he established VIVA, a foundation granting awards to visual artists in British Columbia. He received the Guggenheim Award in 1957, the Molson Prize in 1977, and Gershon Iskowitz Award in 1990. Also, he was awarded Honorary Degrees from four universities, and the Order of Canada. In 1989, he was made Freeman of the City of Vancouver. Shadbolt represented Canada in international exhibitions around the world, and exhibited in all major public galleries across Canada for 60 years. His works are represented in all major galleries across Canada, including the National Gallery of Canada, and in many private and corporate collections. Bau-Xi Gallery represented Shadbolt with 44 solo exhibitions in its Vancouver and Toronto locations since 1970.

Lithography, or writing on stone is based on the resistance between grease and water. The artist uses drawing and painting materials containing grease on a limestone slab or aluminum plate to create an image. A gum arabic mixture is applied to the composition to securely bond the image to the plate. The surface is then dampened with water which adheres to the non-greasy areas. Ink is applied and only adheres to the greasy sections. Areas covered with water remain blank. The plate is then run through a press under extreme pressure. Lithograph prints are characterized by soft lines and rich textures.

Etching is an example of intaglio. Intaglio derives its name from the Italian intagliare, meaning to incise. Copper or zinc plates have a waxy ground applied to them, and an incising tool called a scribe is used to penetrate the ground. The plate is immersed in an acid bath, where the acid bites into the incised lines to emphasize them. When the plate is ready for inking, the ground is removed and the entire plate is covered in ink. The plate is then wiped clean on the surface and printed on damp paper, where the paper is forced into the etched lines and picks up the remaining ink, resulting in an image.